“I make ’im wun!”
Frantically jumped the deer at this–a denouement so unexpected to his assailants, that the line became broken, the little soldiers were tumbled together, with Tom on top of them, and the deer 20 stood almost at the same instant at the other end of the patch, the whole being accomplished with marvellous quickness.
“Get off my head!” screamed Sarah from under the heap.
“O, dear, you’ll break my arm!” cried Eliza.
“What did you fall on me for?” angrily demanded Bob of Charley, as he spit the dirt from his mouth. “You did it on purpose–you know you did!”
“No, I didn’t!”
“Yes, you did!”
“I should a thought Tom might a held the deer, an’ not fell on us so heavy,” sobbed Sarah, rubbing her eyes with her begrimed gown.
But while they fretted, the fawn had been critically examining the fence to find egress, seeing which the children dried their tears, and made for him again; and at length the graceful creature, bewildered by the din, and foiled by numbers, was forced to surrender himself after another vigorous scramble, in which the basket of potatoes was overturned, and the corn scattered in delightful disorder, and was borne by Tom in triumph to the cabin, accompanied by the excited group.
“We’ve got him, marm–we’ve got him!” they shouted in chorus as they followed their leader into the house. 21